


Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

by Ryk3ld



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Gabe just wants to spoil his husband, Halloween, M/M, Sombra is both daughter and wingman, just soft stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 18:29:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21257705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryk3ld/pseuds/Ryk3ld
Summary: 364 days out of the year, Soldier: 76 and Reaper are mortal enemies. But on Halloween, Gabriel and his husband Jack get to enjoy time together in the solitude of a wooded park.A gift for MissRoseQueen @fabricandbeads on Twitter as part of a Halloween gift exchange!





	Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

  * For [missrosequween](https://archiveofourown.org/users/missrosequween/gifts).

> Edit: fixed a formatting issue that caused the story to end up a wall of text.

"It was a dark and stormy night." "Oh, how very cliche. Not even a hello, Gabi?" The Reaper coalesces, and elbows the supersoldier in the ribs. "C'mon, let me have this one thing. It's Spooktober, after all." Jack rolls his eyes. "Don't lie, you love this." Gabe twirls as his trench coat billows in the wind. "Yeah, yeah, let's get out of here." "My thoughts exactly, babe."

  
Jack gives Gabe a peck on the cheek before the latter disappears in a puff of smoke. Jack surveils the area one last time before leaving. Dorado in late October is incredibly festive. Pumpkins have been carved, papel picado strung across the streets, and children excitedly gabbing about their costumes, ready for four days of treats.

  
Following Gabe's very obvious footprints (Jack may be old, but he's not blind yet, dammit) leads him through a patch of trees in a nearby park. The lights from the city dim as he takes the first step into the small forest. "Two old soldiers meet in the woods, hunting evil." "If you fall out of that tree, I'm not going to feel sorry for you." Jack counts the barely repressed laugh as a win for him.  
Continuing along the absurd trail, Jack chuckles to himself, heart warmed by the effort Gabe had obviously put into this whole thing. Jack'o'lanterns light the path in a faint glow, and the leaves beneath his feet crunch and crackle. He catches the scent of wood smoke, reminding him of the good times they've had around a campfire.

  
Suddenly, an arm blocks him from moving forward. "Shhh! There's someone up ahead." At first, Jack thinks this is all part of the plan. Looking over to his partner's body language proved otherwise. Hunkering down, as silent now as 30 years ago, they hear a voice.  
"Oh, c'mon Gabe, I know you're here somewhere with that goodie two shoes boyfriend of yours. Actually, I wonder, are 'dead' people still legally married?" A purple glow emanates from the direction of the voice. "What the fuck is she doing here?" Jack hisses. "That's what I would like to know."

  
After a minute or so of searching, Sombra makes an amused noise. "Oh, and Gabe, you owe me. Akande thinks you're in Canada checking in on Vishkar activity there." "There's Vishkar activity in Canada?" Sombra laughs. "No, but you 'had reason to believe' there was. I've already fabricated the messages in case he wants to see your evidence." She pauses, looking at her nails. "I even got snacks for your date, since you forgot." Gabe chokes at this. Jack gently grabs his hand and walks out of the treeline to the fire pit Sombra lit, giving up any pretense of hiding. "Ah! There you are. Wonderful to finally meet you, Soldier: 76, or should I say Overwatch Strike Commander John Francis Morrison?" She offers her hand to shake. After a moment, he accepts hesitantly. Sombra laughs heartily. "Believe it or not, I'm not your enemy. Oh, and good work against Los Muertos. It's about time they got what they deserved." With that, she flickers out of existence.  
"So you adopted another stray in Talon?" "You could say that." "Why am I not surprised." Gabe's endearing shrug makes Jack's heart feel a bit lighter.

  
"What was the rest of your plan, since it was derailed?" "Bold of you to assume I had a plan." They have a shared laugh before digging into the bag of food. Popcorn, hot dogs, hot cocoa supplies, cooking sticks, and the makings of smores fill the bag. "Smores? Aren't those against your diet?" "Oh no, then I'll be a chubby smoke monster." Gabe sticks his tongue out.

  
For hours, they talk. About the good days, and the bad. About the people they've lost, and the new ones who've come to fill their place. And then Jack brings up the Forbidden Topic. "Do you think you'll be done soon? Surely you've gathered enough information in 5 years to put them all away." "Maybe so, but it's no longer just Talon. Vishkar, Los Muertos, and nearly the whole of Oasis needs to be taken down as well. This rabbit hole just gets deeper and deeper." "When are you going to say enough's enough, Gabe? You can't do this forever! They'll find out sooner or later." Gabe stays silent, and Jack sighs.

  
"I love you. I just don't want you to be hurt any more than you already have. We could retire together, find a nice cozy house, have some dogs, it could be nice." It's Gabe's turn to sigh. "I would kill for that, babe, but this needs to be done." "Why do you need to do it? Isn't that the UN's job?" "Yeah, but their attempts have been piss-poor. And look at you, talking about retirement. Aren't you in town primarily to take out Los Muertos?" "Yes, I am. But if I cave first, I know you'll lord that over me for the rest of our lives. Not a chance. I retire with you, or not at all."

  
They both go silent. Jack slowly scoots closer to Gabe on the log, and drapes the blanket that Sombra must've left over them both, huffing a quiet laugh at the sugar skull emblem. Gabe rests his head on Jack's shoulder, taking in a deep breath of the moment.  
"I hang it on my dogtags, so no one ever sees it, but I carry it close to my heart." Jack whispers, pulling out the ring from under his shirt. Gabe pulls a black leather cord from around his neck. "Me too." He replies. They hold hands for a while, just soaking in each other's presence.

  
Slowly, the fire dims, and the dry wood is used. "I only need another year, sweetie, promise." Gabe"I'm holding you to that. Right after Halloween next year we're going house shopping." "Of course. But we'll have to make sure the smoke detectors don't go off when I wraith." Jack laughs. "That'll be interesting to test. 'Why is the fire alarm going off, and where'd your husband go?'" They both laugh.  
Just as the fire is about to die, they douse it. Sharing a long embrace, they kiss for the last time for another year. "Be safe." Jack reminds. "Oh, gonna be all sappy on me, huh?" Gabe ruffles Jack's slowly thinning hair. "It's what I do best." They kiss, and Gabe slowly gets up to leave. "Oh, and Jack?" "Yeah?" "Sorry about Anubis."

**Author's Note:**

> This was an interesting one to work on, as my first R76 fic. Tell me what you thought!


End file.
